Combination bill and stub for meter readings



Mai?. 6, 1923. E

A. CF'NY COMBINATION BILL AND sTUB FOR METER READINGS` original Filed Jan. 17, 1919 W15 sido/omo/Sul qred 69u any Patented Mar. 6, 1923.

y entre* ALFRED `CGILOITSQOF MOUNT CLEMENS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO i j' CHARLES P. SPICER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

ooiuniiva'rioiv nini; ann srUB non METER nnenines.

Application filed January 17, `1919, Serial No. 271,561. Renewed January 18, 1923.

To all whom tmag/ concern.'

Be it known that1I,`ALFnEDCoPoNY, formerly a subject of the Emperor of Austria, having taken "out fiistUnited States citizen# ship pape-rs, residing at Mount Clemens, in the county of Macomb and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful .Improvements in Combination Bills and Stube for Meter Readings, of Whichvthe fol lowing is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Thefinvention relates to formsheets designed for use in simultaneously recording meter readings and computing the charge for the commodity meter. In particular the invention is designed for use in connection with meter readings of gas, electricity, etc., but it is equally applicable to any use vin which varying quantities of the commodity are charged for at ai fixed rate per unit.

A further feature of the invention is the cong struction by Which the'recording of the date of reading automatically indicates the limit date for payment at thefminimum rate.

Other specific features will be more fully `hereinafter described.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of the blank showing one'of the sections unfolded and another section partly'turned back. i i

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the section Which is unfolded in Figure l folded upon the intermediate section so as to eX- pose its blank reverse face.

Figure 3 isa cross longitudinal section through the folded blank.

In the present state of the art it is usual i to have the meters read by an inspector niho makes record of `the same and hands this.

to the central office Where entry is made, the charge computed and the bill made out. lt

is then'necessary to deliver the bill to the consumer through the mail or by messenger. It is the primary object of my invention torender the bill Aat the time the meter reading is taken, thus dispensing With the services of a second messenger and also the Work of transcription at the central office. It is a further object to simultaneously record upon separable portions of the sheet the quantity consumed and the charge for the same, the former being returned to the oiiice and the latter left With the customer. Still a further feature is the forming of a duplicate record on` separable portions of the/second sheet so that one may be retained by the customer and the other returned with the payment.

In detail, as shown in the drawings, A is a printed blank having three portions B, C

cated at F. There is also a space Gr for the name of the company, a space H for the name and address of the customer and a vspace l for directions as to use. The remaining portion of the section B contains, adjacent to one edge, numbers corresponding to the days of the month, and preferablyhfor several months With the names of the saine. The balance of the section B is divided by transverse lining into a series `of smallsec- Ations, in Which are printed quantities differing from each other by some fixed unit, fsuch as one hundred.

The section C, Which underlies and is coextensive With the section B, is substantially a duplicate of the latter section so far as the printed matter and the arrangement of the lines and small areas are concerned. The numbers corresponding to the names of the month are not, however, in the same order, but the arrangement is such that a number on the section B will register with a number on the section C advanced by predetermined intervals, such as ten days. This result is attained by placing the last ten days in advance of the remaining days of the month on one of the sections, preferably the section l A.. The portion .l ofthe sectionB, which divided by the transverse lines into the small. areas, registers with a correspondingly lined portion K of the section C.; but in the latter section there are arranged in the small areas indications of cost which correspond to the superposed indications of quantity on the section B. A third section D corresponds to a portion of the section C, contain ing the saine indications of cost and numerals for the days of the month, but the print ing is in reverse order so that when this section is folded to the superposed over the section C corresponding indications in the tivo sections will register.

With the construction as described, in use thel sheet when handed to the inspector has filled in thereon thel name and address ot' the consumer and the meter reading of last inspection. After taking the new reading the kinspector makesv note oi' themsame inthe proper line ot the portion'B` thisbeing` above the line forthe last reading, and at the same time he subtracts the on'e 'from the while the figures inthe punched area-s C and l) represent the amount ot the bill4 It is rustomaryto allow a discount torpaynient within the'prescribed time' limit, such as ten days, and to requirejthe 'full amount-,it paid at a vlater date. .lhis is provided ifoi by placingin each ot the areas divided by the t ansvei'se lin-es tivo nunibers,jone the full amount-'oftheA bill and the other the discountedbill, These, as shown, are arranged with the discounted amount in the upper portionof the area and the full amount in the lower portion so that the inspector may indicate which of these figures is to bel paid by punching either in the upper portion or inthe lower portionof the area.

After punchingthe folded sheetthe inspector detaches sections() and D leaving them with the customer and returns the section B to the office. The consumer in paying his billdetaches and returns the section D but retains the section U as a memorandum.

The billr and amount oi` payment may be checked at the oilice by superiinposing the lreturn section l) withithe section Band it' the punchlngs register this will indicate that 4 the amount of payment is correct.

My improvement simplifies the system of accoi-ints, dispensing with' allV computation in the centra] oiiieeand reqiiing of the inspector, in addition to the usual operation-ot reading. the meter, only the punching ot the slips anddetaehing th'e sections.y

for the' total quantity consumed.

It is occasionally necessary to render a bill iior more than one month andl for the quantity recorded vat a `previous reading. To provide for this I have arranged in the recording space B a sufficient number of lines to record more than two readings and the difference between the saine; also a line These additional lines are not ordinarily/'used but can be employedl whenevernecessary.

llfhat I claim as `my invention is:

l. A blank, comprising apiurality oi, superposed sections subdivided into small Vareas in registration with each other, one ot said sections havinggin a portion of the subdivisions thereof quantity indicationsand in the other portions date indications, and aiiother section having in the areas registering with said quantity indications correspond ingcost indications andin the areas registering with said dateindications advanced date indications.

2. A blank comprising two superposed sections having corresponding portions appropriately designated iorthe marking oi' l meter readings and naine and address of the customeigfalso portions correspondingly subdivided to be inregistration, a portion ot said subdivisionsvoiI onelotl said sectionscontaining date indications and another portion thereof containingquantity indications and the corresponding subdivisions'ot the other section having advanced date indications registering with the irst mentioned date indications and having cost indications inregistration with said quantity indications, whereby punching of the superposed sections will indicate on one thereof, ,the date of meter reading and quantity consumed and on the other, the limit dateli'or payment with discount and cost offconsuinptionfr 3. `A blank, comprising superposed sections subdivided into corresponding registerii'ig sinall'areas, the small areas otl the upper section having therein Va series ot quantity indications yandthe small areas oi' the lower Section each containing t'ull and discountedl cost indications in predeterininedlportions tlieieo'f,.wliei"eby the punching of the-superposed vsections will indicate in one section a selected'quantity and in' the other section selected i'ull or discounted cost corresponding to said quantity.

In testimony whereof laffix my signature.

, iiiiriinn coriiir. 

